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State of Cal Logo
EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor

State of California—Health and Human Services Agency
California Department of Public Health


Feb 5, 2021


TO:
All Californians

SUBJECT:
State Public Health Officer Order Revoking the Hospital Surge Order

​This state health officer order is no longer in effect and is for historical purposes only.



State Public Health Officer Order Revoking the Hospital Surge Order

February 5, 2021

The Hospital Surge Order was put into place on January 5, 2021, as an emergency measure to address an urgent statewide crisis in ICU capacity that was caused by unprecedented exponential community transmission combined with scarce hospital resources in equipment, space, and staffing. The Order served to spread the COVID burden across hospitals and ensure that all patients were receiving a high quality of care to prevent loss of life.

Current data reflecting declining cases, hospitalizations, test positivity and transmission rates indicate that the acute phase of the unprecedented surge experienced at the end of 2020 has abated sufficiently for hospitals to resume elective surgeries and other conventional standards of care. As community transmission has decreased, so has the burden on the hospital system, including lower hospital admissions, lower levels of patients boarded in the emergency department, and shorter ambulance patient offload times. Consequently, while the status of COVID-19 in California remains serious, the emergent Hospital Surge Order can now be rescinded.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, as State Public Health Officer of the State of California, order:

  1. The Hospital Surge Order, as amended on January 6 and January 15, is hereby revoked.  

  2. This Order is issued pursuant to Health and Safety Code sections 120125, 120140, 120175,120195 and 131080; EO N-60-20, N-25-20, N-27-20, N-39-20, and other authority provided for under the Emergency Services Act; and other applicable law.

 

 Signature_SHO

Tomás J. Aragón, M.D., Dr.P.H.

Director & State Public Health Officer

California Department of Public Health